Member's Press Release

Release Date: 02/20/2016
Contact: Jacque Bland at (304) 590-4678

President Cole

This Week in the West Virginia Senate

CHARLESTON – West Virginia’s access to broadband Internet got a boost on Thursday after the Senate voted 29-5 to approve Senate Bill 315, which provides for the creation of statewide fiber optic broadband infrastructure network that would operate as a middle mile.

The network would be owned and operated by the State of West Virginia, and would be open to business and residential users throughout the state. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission ranks West Virginia 48th in the country for access to high-speed broadband Internet service.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Chris Walters, R-Putnam, was the lead sponsor of the bill, which had broad bipartisan support.

“This is going to move us up,” Senator Walters said. “This is going to help our state."

The bill is pending before the House Political Subdivisions Committee.

***

Senate Bill 10, the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act, passed Wednesday by a vote of 24-9. The bill makes it unlawful for any person to purposely perform or attempt to perform a dismemberment abortion, and thereby kill an unborn child, unless necessary to prevent serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.

An amendment to the bill removed a provision that would have created civil and criminal penalties for doctors who performed the procedure.

The bill is pending before the House Health and Human Resources Committee.

***

The Senate Government Organization Committee on Thursday passed Senate Bill 617, which would return all salaried and hourly state employees to a semimonthly pay schedule.

After hearing testimony from Legislative Auditor Aaron Allred, State Auditor Glen Gainer, and West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Administrator Steve Canterbury, Committee Chairman Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, questioned the need for the State to continue to spend money on a system rife with problems.

“In business when we make a mistake, we stop it and we figure out how to solve it,” Blair said. “We’re not going to continue to throw money at it. This sign of support from the Supreme Court just validates our position that this poorly conceived plan to change the way our state employees are paid is wrong. I’m happy that we’ve taken the first step toward making sure our valuable, hardworking men and women take home every penny they’ve earned.”

***

By the Numbers (through February 20)

Number of Senate bills introduced: 662

Number of Senate bills passed: 129

Number of bills that have completed legislative action: 17

***

The West Virginia Senate passed 55 bills this week and advanced several others through committee.